Research in the SPACE group concerns the ways in which the distributions, abundances and physiological tolerances of animals (mostly insects and sometimes their hosts) change through space and time, and the application of these results in conservation biology. Our research spans macroecology, community ecology, evolutionary physiology, and conservation biology, with the emphasis varying depending on the membership of the group and the requirements of the agencies funding the research. Currently our research includes:

• Spatial patterning in insects, birds and plants
• Physiological variation and its ecological consequences
• Biological invasions on southern ocean islands

This research is conducted in two laboratories, one based in the Department of Conservation Ecology and headed by Dr. Melodie A. McGeoch, and the other based in the Department of Botany & Zoology and headed by Prof. Steven Chown. We work at a variety of locations, but most commonly in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, in various privately owned and state managed areas, and at the sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands, one of several small island groups located in the vast Southern Ocean . Our research is funded predominantly by the South African National Research Foundation and the South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism's Directorate Antarctica and Islands, but is also supported by other agencies such as USAID, the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the New Zealand Foundation for Research Science and Technology.

"Even in South Africa, snow can occasionally prevent access to study sites!"

Contact details:

Department of Botany & Zoology
University of Stellenbosch
Private Bag X1
Matieland 7602
South Africa

Tel: +2721 808-3236
Fax: +2721 808-2405
E-mail: lwillems@sun.ac.za